John Henry's pappy woke him up one midnight   He said, "'Fore the sheriff comes I wanna tell you, listen boy"   Said, "Learn to ball a jack, learn to lay a track   Learn to pick and shovel too and take my hammer   It'll do anything you tell it to"      John Henry's mammy had about a dozen babies   John Henry's pappy broke jail about a dozen times   The babies all got sick and when the doctor wanted money   He said, "I'll pay you a quarter at a time startin' tomorrow   That's the pay for a steel driver on this line"      Then the section foreman said, "Hey, hammer swinger   I see you brought your own hammer boy   But what else can all those muscles do   And he said, "I can turn a jack, I can lay a track   I can pick and shovel too"      Can you swing a hammer boy?   Yes sir, I'll do anything, you hire me to      Now ain't you somethin'   So high and mighty wif your muscles   Just go ahead, boy and pick up that hammer   Pick up the hammer      He said, "Get a rusty spike and swing it down three times   I'll pay you a nickel a day for every inch you sink it to   Go on and do what you say you can do"      With a steep nose hammer on a four foot switch handle   John Henry raised it back 'til it touched his heels then   The spike went through the cross tie and it split it half in two   Thirty-five cents a day for drivin' steel      Sweat, sweat boy, sweat, you owe me two more swings   I was born for driven steel      Well John Henry hammered in the mountain   He'd give a grunt, he'd give a groan with every swing   The women folks for miles around heard him and come down   To watch him make the cold steel ring, Lord what a swinger   Just listen to that cold steel ring      But the bad boss come up laughin' at John Henry   Said, "You full of vinegar now, but you about through   We gonna get a steam drill to do your share of drivin'   Then what's all them muscles gonna do? Huh, John Henry?   Gonna take a little bit of vinegar out of you"      John Henry said, "I feed four little brothers   And baby sister's walkin' on her knees   Did the Lord say that machines oughtta take the place of livin'?   And what's a substitute for bread and beans? I ain't seen it   Do engines get rewarded for their steam?"      John Henry hid in a coal mine for his dinner nap   Had thirty minutes to rest before the bell   The mine boss hollered, "Get up, whoever you are, and get a pick axe   Give me enough coal to start another hell and keep it burnin'   Mine me enough to start another hell"      John Henry said to his captain," A man ain't nothin' but a man   But if you'll bring that steam drill round, I'll beat it fair and honest   I'll die with my hammer in my hand but I'll be laughin'   'Cuz you can't replace a steel drivin' man"      There was a big crowd of people at the mountain   John Henry said to the steam drill, "How is you?   Pardon me mister steam drill, I suppose you didn't hear me"   I said, "How're you?"      Well can you turn a jack, can you lay a track   Can you pick and shovel too?   Listen, this hammer swinger's talkin' to you      Two thousand people hollered, "Go, John Henry"   Then somebody hollered, "The mountain's caving in"   John Henry told the captain, "Tell the kind folks don't worry   That ain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind, it keeps me breathin'   A steel driver's muscle I intend"      Captain, tell the people, move back further   I'm at the finish line and there ain't no drill   It's so far behind but yet ain't got the brains to quit it   When she blows up she'll scatter 'cross the hills, Lord lordy   When she blows up she'll scatter 'cross the hills      Well John Henry had a little woman   I believe the lady's name was Polly Ann   Yeah that was his good woman   John Henry threw his hammer over his shoulder and went on home      He laid down to rest his weary back and early next mornin'   He said, "Come here Polly Ann, come here sugar   Ya know, I believe this is the first time I ever watched   The sun come up that I couldn't come up"      "Take my hammer, Polly Ann and go to that railroad   Swing that hammer like you seen me do it   And when you're swingin' with the lead man   They'll all know, they'll all know you're John Henry's woman   But, but tell them ain't all you can do"      "Tell 'em I can hoist a jack, and I can lay a track   I can pick and shovel too, ain't no machine can   That's been proved to you"      There was a big crowd of mourners at the church house   The section hands laid him in the sand   Trains go by on the rails John Henry laid   They slow down and take off their hats, the men do      When they come to the place where John Henry's layin'   Restin' his back, some of 'em say, "Mornin', steel driver   You sure was a hammer swinger"   Then they go on by, pickin' up a little speed   Clickity clack, clickity clack, clickity clack, clickity clack      Yonder lies a steel drivin' man, oh, Lord   Yonder lies a steel drivin' man   Yonder lies a steel drivin' man, oh, Lord   Yonder lies a steel drivin' man      Yonder lies a steel drivin' man, oh, Lord   Yonder lies a steel drivin' man